Construction techniques, experimentation and innovative architectural solutions at Hadrian’s Villa (Tivoli, Italy)

Project Information

Constr-HaVi

Grant agreement ID: 796998

DOI

10.3030/796998

Project closed

EC signature date 4 April 2018

Start date 1 July 2019

End date 30 June 2021

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 175 866,00

EU contribution

€ 175 866,00

Coordinated by

THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, FOUNDATION SCHOLARS & THE OTHER MEMBERS OF BOARD, OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY & UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLIN
Ireland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Constr-HaVi (Construction techniques, experimentation and innovative architectural solutions atHadrian’s Villa (Tivoli, Italy))

Reporting period: 2019-07-01 to 2021-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The aim of this project was to investigate the building and engineering techniques utilized in constructing Hadrian’s Villa (Tivoli, Italy), the most luxurious and best preserved of the imperial villas in the hinterland of Rome, built as a government retreat during the reign of the emperor Hadrian (AD 117-138). The bibliography on the Hadrian's Villa is extensive. One thing was missing: a synthesis combining analysis of the buildings with a critical study of the bibliography that would present a comprehensive corpus of the building solutions found in the different structures across the entire site. This corpus is the study I am pubblishing. My research approach is based on seeing the building as an engineering product in a continuous process of change that, owing to its origins and survival, is subject to static and dynamic rules as well as to the human and material factor that must be calculated in the study of any ancient building. Hadrian’s Villa is perfect for a study of this kind because it both attests creative experimentation of a high level in the context of high imperial Roman architecture and it is also so well preserved and studied. Outputs are demonstrated in terms of the design implications expressed in ancient architecture, and the evolution of Hadrianic construction standards. Specific architectural building types emerging as central to the overall development and application of construction science have been analysed in terms of efficiency, innovation and impact. The work is placed in the context of concurrent applied research in building science and its mid-imperial incorporation into architectural education and practice. The right knowledge of ancient structures has a profound importance for today's society, both in terms of memory and knowledge of effective construction techniques, moreover the study carried out is also be of relevance to research in building science applied to restoration. The graphical representation of the construction processes of the archaeological complex show an image of the construction site, the workers at work, building systems and implementation phases of the prestigious Hadrian’s residence, transmitting knowledge of the subject to the general public. Utility of collected data is maximised by ensuring that the data is accurate, of a high resolution, and that methods of capture are clearly documented and replicable. This database will be useful also for local institutions for any activities related to the preservation and use of the monument. The project results are important and innovative for two reasons: to create a corpus of construction solutions about an archaeological site that represents a synthesis of experimentation in architecture; to understand how Hadrian’s Villa served as a kind of laboratory for architectural experiments which could be deployed on a massive scale across the entire empire.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

A judicious selection of constructive examples has been made: Edificio con Pilastri dorici, Atrio Mistilineo, cd. Tempio di Apollo. They present particular constructive technical solutions as well as different modifications realized in the work in process, also in the early building phases: they represent a statistical sample that involves all the peculiarities of the architecture. During the Applied analysis, the direction and accuracy of developments in the science have been assessed through technical analysis of drawings and cross-section of building types and exemplars which were central to the original research. Skills developed during the project have permitted me to examine the effectiveness of architectural experiments. For the fieldwork, different instrumentation and computer programmes have been used, including, notably, digital photography, a Total Station, and AutoCAD.
Below is a list of activities undertaken to disseminate the results of the project:
- Iluminación y efectos perspectivos en los edificios de planta central de la “Accademiaˮ de Villa Adriana: algunas observaciones, in Adventus Hadriani, investigaciones sobre arquitectura adrianea, 2020, 473-494.
- The cd. Sala con Pilastri Dorici of Hadrian's Villa: engineering techniques for the construction of a specific architectural image, in Romula 19-20 (July 2022)
- The “Centauri Furietti” in bigio morato marble. New fragments from the Atrio Mistilineo at Hadrians Villa, in Asmosia XII, (May 2022)
- No sólo mármol: algunas consideraciones sobre proyectos y transmisión de los modelos (June 2022)
The books currently being published and which will be released shortly will allow me to acquire great visibility and the project data will be widely disseminated.
- L'Accademia di Villa Adriana. Tecniche, processi di costruzione ed evoluzione architettonica del cd. Piccolo Palazzo, Edizioni Quasar. (January 2022)
- Ex fabrica et ratiocinatione: techniques, technologies and innovation in ancient architecture. (July 2022)

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The Fellowship has highlight the relevance of construction archaeology to the history of architecture and engineering. My research has been the next logical step in the study of the Hadrian's Villa. It fills a gap in research by applying a new approach concentrated on construction technique and engineering. Hadrian’s Villa has long been recognized as one of the major achievements of the Roman architecture in all periods. It has had a major impact on western architecture from Borromini in the Baroque period and Robert Adam in the Age of the Grand Tour to Le Corbusier in the modern. The creativity of the architectural solutions found at Hadrian’s Villa required that the most sophisticated building and engineering techniques be utilised to bring the architects’ designs to life. Thus, Hadrian’s Villa stands as both paragon and paradigm in the repertoire of imperial construction, illustrating at one and the same time the strengths and limitations of the Roman building industry. For the study, the modern techniques of photogrammetry, photo scanning and 3D modelling have been used, generating graphical restitutions in 2-dimensions (plans, sections and elevations) and in 3-dimensional format. The use of photogrammetry has been privileged, because the collection of data and their processing are been simpler and less expensive than the laser scanner, in terms of time and money. The field of study will have implications for contemporary protection of ancient monuments. The significant contribution of the 2 and 3-d reconstruction is also important for musealization: the archaeological data combined with the graphical reconstructions make visible areas not accessible. Therefore, the project joins several aspects: archaeology, ancient architecture, engineering, experimental use of computer programmes for digital reconstruction, methodology of cultural heritage conservation and dissemination. Society and the Economy: This research project has addressed gaps in knowledge related to the history, development and application of technology in ancient buildings. The benefits of the project are been to connect different aspects: cultural dissemination, management of monuments and scientific research. The documentation and understanding of the technical solutions are key tools, not only as a real and highly precise representation of the actual state of the building and of its construction process, but also as starting point for all correct interventions in conservation and restoration of the monuments in question.

Hadrian's Villa, "Atrio Mistilineo, construction process, reconstruction hypotesis

Hadrian's Villa, "Tempio di Apollo", wooden, roofing system, reconstruction hypotesis